


Mardi Gras

by h00ligan



Series: Amareyes #writeLGBTQ [8]
Category: Champions (Comics), Ghost Rider (Comics), Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: M/M, Wednesday Spoilers, mardi gras sinful fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-13 15:00:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18033902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/h00ligan/pseuds/h00ligan
Summary: After Robbie gets put on leave from the Avengers, Amadeus can only think of one way to cheer him upPart 8 of Amareyes #WriteLGBTQ: Flash





	Mardi Gras

**Author's Note:**

> This is... so late. Midterms murdered me.

"So... are you fired?" Amadeus asked when Robbie's breath evened out, though Robbie hadn't let go of Amadeus

"I don't know," he mumbled miserably. "Everybody was... super pissed at me. I think it's just a leave, but I don't know." Robbie was hugging Amadeus tight in his lap, it felt like he hadn't moved in hours. "T'Challa said he's keeping Gabe at the embassy. Apparently, I'm an  _unsuitable guardian_ until I get my shit together." Even saying it made his heart fall into his gut. All he wanted after the incident was to hold his brother tight, make sure he knew everything would be alright. "Steve said I should take a vacation. Clear my head."

"I mean... Maybe we could." Amadeus suggested quietly. "Mardi Gras is in a few days. We could head to New Orleans."

That got Robbie to look up, eyes bloodshot. "But Gabe-"

"You won't be even allowed in the building until they think you're recovered." He ran a hand through Robbie's hair. "Think about it. Just us and the road, and then a whole day of pure debauchery."

A smile tugged at Robbie's lips. "I mean, I've never been east of Phoenix. We could take a little road trip..."

Amadeus beamed. "Great! I can pack up the stuff I have here."

Packing didn't take long for Robbie--he always had a go bag full of a week's worth of clothes in the house, and had the same for Gabe. One part of the system that never left him, he guessed. Amadeus was probably right. The absence of Gabe in the house, the sudden silence, it was like a weight pressed on his heart. Gabe left the signed Captain America toy shield on the coffee table as if he was expecting to come home for Friday dinner and have play time with Robbie and Amadeus for that blissful extra hour after dinner and before bed. The game console was still plugged in, his copy of Mario Kart still in the machine. All of it compounded on him over the past couple days, that painful, oppressive  _loneliness_. He wanted his best friend back. 

Amadeus picked up the shield as Robbie blankly stared at it. "Hey, I'm going to put this on the wall where it usually is, right?"

"Gabe doesn't like people in his room when he's not home. Privacy thing. You can just... put it under the TV."

Amadeus moved it, and hugged Robbie. "You'll get him back. Let's just have this weekend. Just for us. You deserve to be selfish for once. You  _earned it_."

Robbie returned the hug, but internally, he was really on that highway. Stuck. Helpless.

* * *

 Robbie really intended to go the whole drive as normal, even scheduled in an extra twelve hours for worse-than-usual traffic, but Amadues was very,  _unbearably_ convincing. They hadn't even left Hillrock yet when he leaned his seat back the whole way so he could stretch out. "This is  _so slow_. Come on, babe. I  _know_ you can get us there in two hours. Just... Go Ghost."

"I hate it when you call it that."

"You only hate that because you found out that's my ringtone for you."

"Well, it's an improvement over that goddamn Johnny Cash song."

"It's a classic!"

"You have a very strange definition of 'classic'. Feet off the dash."

"Only if you get us there faster."

"Once we're out of the beltway I can hit 90."

"90? That's it? I thought you were the Ghost Rider. A street racer. A real-life  _Dominic Toretto._ " He was goading him now, hitting his pride. "You know, I thought you only liked things slow in  _bed_. Who knew I'd be in the passenger seat of a little old la--"  _Shit_.

Robbie was more in control of his powers now, fully in the drivers seat, as the change overtook him.  ** _"Little shit_ _."_** he mumbled affectionately, and, he did, in fact, get them to New Orleans in two hours. 

One of the things Robbie never thought he'd have to worry about was getting a hotel room where he'd have to worry about  _collateral_.

"Robbie, I can handle this," Amadeus said, lowly, though his face was down and a hood was drawn in the street. "Champions have money. And connections in New Orleans."

"No. If I'm getting forced to take this goddamn vacation, it'll be on  _Mr. Stark's_ dollar. Nice room and everything. I've never been to a Hilton."

What Robbie'd never told Amadeus was that he had fake a fake ID claiming him as 25 for nights with far races when he needed a hotel. Probably should've mentioned that earlier, but the card went through, and they were in a 13th floor room overlooking the French Quarter.

"Bad luck, our room being here," Amadeus mentioned.

"Our luck can't get much worse. The festivities don't start until the morning, and neither of us drink... I kind of want to live the fantasy of being rich boy for a day." He went to the closet and opened it, before nearly doubling over in laughter, holding a robe. "I thought this shit was just in movies."

"This is real life. Welcome to the lives of the filthy rich and disgustingly famous. You're an Avenger now, may as well live like one."

"Hey, I don't like the team either, 'cept for Jen and Eric. I'm not rich, I'm not smart, I'm not a cop, I'm still me, just enjoying the ride for as long as I can." He slipped the robe on and walked over to Amadeus. "In all the time I've been the Ghost Rider, in all the gangs I've busted, I've never taken a  _penny_ for myself. It's always gone to shelters and soup kitchens. I donate half my pay. I just want  _one day_ where we're not being watched through cameras in the arm of the corpse of a space god. A week of debauchery where I don't have to do anything. Then I'll be relaxed, I get Gabe back, and we'll be back to normal." He pecked his lips. "I think they might have a hot tub, too." 

* * *

Robbie had never been woken up by something so pleasant as light streaming in an upper level hotel window and jazz music in the air, treated to the sight of his beloved green oaf naked from the shower, still drying off his hair. "So I was thinking we can go down to the city to party during the day, and engage in the adults-only fun tonight."

"You wasted water," Robbie said with a small smile. "Could've waited for me. I think it's a great idea." 

The parade was fun, both wearing a few sets of unearned beads that'd been thrown from a raft, Amadeus simply looking like a very enthusiastic partygoer with a yellow sweatshirt and orange pants. It was really,  _such a shame_ that east coast March was worse than LA. Horrible, really, that he spent the whole time tucked under his chin because he'd elected to wear the one crop top he owned  that he only got out for Pride, but it was purple, so it was good enough. After the parade, most of the day was dedicated to eating, which both enthusiastically partook in, until the sun started to set and the music got louder, luring them out to Bourbon street. People from higher floors held beads and tossed them out to some girls and a few boys.

Amadeus had a particular look about him, already tugging at the hem of his sweatshirt. "I want some more beads," he said with a grin.

"I do, too."

 


End file.
